ACP and the Human Right to Health
Authors: P. Preston Reynolds
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2023)

Editorials31 October 2023ACP and the Human Right to HealthP. Preston Reynolds, MD, PhDP. Preston Reynolds, MD, PhDUniversity of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VirginiaAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/M23-2606 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail More than 35 years ago, as president of the American Medical Student Association, I wore a button proclaiming, "Health Is a Human Right." Then, as chair of the American College of Physicians (ACP) Council of Associates, I contributed to the organization's early position on universal access to health care. Later, as a member of ACP's Health and Public Policy Committee, I helped craft ACP's positions on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. I served for 15 years on the founding Board of Directors of Physicians for Human Rights. These activities deeply shaped my identity as a doctor, understanding of ...References1. World Health Organization. Constitution of the World Health Organization. 1946. Accessed at https://apps.who.int/gb/bd/PDF/bd47/EN/constitution-en.pdf on 26 September 2023. Google Scholar2. United Nations. Universal Declaration of Human Rights. 1948. Accessed at www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights on 26 September 2023. Google Scholar3. Braveman P. Social conditions, health equity, and human rights. Health Hum Rights. 2010;10:31-48. [PMID: 21178188] Google Scholar4. Backman G, Hunt P, Khosla R, et al. Health systems and the right to health: an assessment of 194 countries. Lancet. 2008;372:2047-2085. [PMID: 19097280] doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(08)61781-X CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. Hunt P. Interpreting the international right to health in a human rights-based approach to health. Health Hum Rights. 2016;18:109-130. [PMID: 28559680] Google Scholar6. Wolff J. The Human Right to Health. WW Norton; 2012. Google Scholar7. Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights; World Health Organization. The Right to Health: Fact Sheet No. 31. 2008. Accessed at www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/Documents/Publications/Factsheet31.pdf on 26 September 2023. Google Scholar8. Alston P. Report of the Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights on his mission to the United States of America. 2018. Publication no. A/HRC/38/33/Add.1. Google Scholar9. Byrd WM, Clayton LA. An American Health Dilemma: Race, Medicine, and Health Care in the United States, 1900-2000. Vol 2. Routledge, 2002. Google Scholar10. DeCamp M, Snyder Sulmasy L; ACP Ethics, Professionalism and Human Rights Committee. Health as a human right: a position paper from the American College of Physicians. Ann Intern Med. 2023;176:1516-1519. doi:10.7326/M23-1900 LinkGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: P. Preston Reynolds, MD, PhDAffiliations: University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VirginiaDisclosures: The author has reported no disclosures of interest. The form can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=M23-2606.Corresponding Author: P. Preston Reynolds, MD, PhD, 81 Hospital Drive, PO Box 800744, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908; e-mail, PPR8Q@UVAHealth.org.This article was published at Annals.org on 31 October 2023. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoHealth as a Human Right: A Position Paper From the American College of Physicians Matthew DeCamp , and Lois Snyder Sulmasy , for the ACP Ethics, Professionalism and Human Rights Committee Metrics November 2023Volume 176, Issue 11 Page: 1552-1553 Keywords Bioethics Health care Health equity Prevention, policy, and public health Public policy Social health determinants ePublished: 31 October 2023 Issue Published: November 2023 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2023 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...